Timing apparatus for electric welders and the like.



J. A. HEANY.

TIMING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC WELDERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1914.

1 1 83, 1 95 Patented May 16, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

5 2 9 liwenr I. A. HEANY.

TIMING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC WELDERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, I914. 1,183,195. Patented May16,1916.

3 SHEET$SHEET 2.

UNITED strArEs PATENT OFFICE. I

JOHN ALLEN HEANY, or wasninc'ronl, nrs'rarc-ror commune;

TIMING APPAMTUS FOB ELECTRIC WEL'DEBS AND THE LIKE.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known thatI, JoHN' ALLEN Hrimy, a citizen of the United States,residing in thev city of Washington, in the Distrlct of 'Columbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Timing Apparatus forElectric Welders and the like; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled 1n the art to which itappertains to make and usethe same.-

The object of theinvention is to provide timing mechanism for multipleelectric welders and similar apparatus in which the duration of thecurrent flowing between the electrodesof the welding apparatus may beaccurately and selectively determined to meetthe requirements of thework; It has been suggested heretofore to employ an adjustable timingapparatus with individual welders to regulate theperiod of current flowbetween 'the terminals of the welders, but inasmuch as the timingmechanism is intimately associated with the welding apparatus, it isusually necessary to suspend the operation of a given machine to changeor adjust the timing. mecha ism to a different time interval of currentflow.

In machine shops and plants employing a number of welding machines, eachhaving individual timing apparatus requiring careful and accurateadjustment for each particularv class of work done on such welder, thematter of such adjustment constitutes an important element in theeconomy and efficiency of the plant, both in the matter of time and inthe uniformity of the products turned out by the welders. The weldingoperation per se does not require highly skilled labor, so that a simpleform of timing apparatus which may be quickly'and accurately adjusted bythe ordinary workman is obviously highly desirable. If this desirablecharacteristic is associated with an apparatus from and by which thetime intervals of the flow of current to each of a number of weldingmachines may be selectively varied, the timing control of the entirewelding plant consisting of many machines which may be operatingat'different periods of duration of current flow, will be reduced to itslowest terms and maximum efficiency.

The present invention is designed to pre Specification of LettersPatent.

sent the foregoing desirable features, and to this end comprises amaster timer for multiple electric welders and the like, comprising acontact device, preferably including a rotary contact segment with aseries of brushes cooperating therewith to break the main circuitthroughthe timer at successively varyin time intervals, and means forconnecting t e respective welders to the master timer in any desiredtimed relation, exemplified by circuit connections between theindividual welders and any selected brush or brushes of the timer tothereby regulate the duration of the current intervals at any or all ofthe welders.

Theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a plan view of the apparatus showing the multiple weldersand circuits in diagram, and the master timer partly/inplan and partlyin horizontal section; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through themaster timer; and Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative form of circuitconnections between the master timer and the various welders.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a hollow bowl-shaped casinghaving a cover 2 and mounted upon a pedestal or support 3, located atany desired or convenient point in a shop or plant employing multiplewelding machines of any of the approved types, and which are designed tobe operated under regulable and predetermined time intervals of currentflow, according to the particular Patented Ma 16, 1916. Applicationfiled much 2, 1914. Serial no. a22,'1o2.

of the casing, is a series of brush holding studs 10, which areinsulated from the casing by bushings 11. Onthe inner end of each of thestuds 10 is mounted a brush or contact device 12, including a holder andthe usual carbon or similar brush proper, and

eachof the brushes is held with its lower face in contact with the ringconsisting of the segments 8 and 9- carried by the rotating disk 4. Theouter end of each of the studs 10 is rovided with a binding post 13, orequiva ent connection, by meansof which the terminals of,electr1c cablesor conductors may be attached to the individual studs.

- The disk 4 is rotated at any predetermined or desired rate of speed bymeans of an electric motor 18, mounted on the cover 2 and connected withthe shaft 5 by means of a worm shaft 16 coupled'to the motor shaft andjournaled in bearings 17, 17 said worm shaft engaging a worm wheel 15keyed to the upper end of said shaft 5.

The casing is partially filled with oil orthe like, so as to submer ethe'disk 4 and the brushes I2, and there y revent or reduce the heavysparking WlllCll would otherwise occur at the instant of breakingcontact between the brushes and the conductor segment 8.

In the preferred form of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the uppermostbrush 12 is connected through its stud 10 with one of the main currentleads. The other brushes 12 of the apparatus are connected to separateleads or conductors, each of which leads or conductors is tapped by abranch leading to the terminals of multiple point switches s, s, .9,etc., in circuit with the primaries of welders w, W, w, etc., thesecondaries of which welders are connected with the usual weldingcontacts. The other terminal'of each primary welder winding is-connected through a suitable hand switch to a lead connected with thecommon return to the opposite main or supply wire.

Assuming t at the disk 4 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, asindicated by the arrow, Fig.1, and that the parts occupy the relativepositions indicated in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the path of thecurrent from the positive lead will be by way of stud 10',

brush 12 to conductor segment 8, thence through all of the brushes 12and the leads connecting the respective brushes to the multiple pointswitches s, .9, etc. of the welders, through each of said' switcheswhich may be in operative position, through the primaries of-the weldertransformers to the common return leading to the negative side of theline. As soon as the segment 8 has passed from under brush 12, thecircuit 7 to all 'of'the welders is broken. As the disk 4 continues itsrotation and the forward end of the segment 8 passes into engagementwith brush 12, and then passes successively under the remaining brushes12, it'will be apparent thatthe branch circuits connecting? each of thebrushes 12 with each of the welders. will be successively closed at thebrushes; It will also be apparent that the circuit closedthrough segment8 between brush 12 and the next brush 12 to the left thereof, will beclosed for a longer period.

currents of the same duration, i

time.- The circuits maintained by the intermediate brushes will vary bysuccessively decreasing time periods considered from rightto left. Foreach rotation of the disk,

4, the circuits through all of the brushes 12 will be closedsuccessively and will be maintained for successivel decreasing timeperiods beginnin for t e longest period of closure with the rush 12 nextto brush 12', and endin with the period of closure which is maintainedshortest b the lowermost brush 12 just before the circuit through all ofthe brushes 12 is broken by brush 12 passing out of engagement with theconductor segment 8. As the secondary of the transformer of each Weldingmachine is adapted to be connected through its multioint switch 8, .9etc, with any one of the rushes 12, it will be apparent that any desiredtimed interval of current flow through the welders may be selectivelydetermined at any or all of the welders by shifting the multi-pointswitch to the contact which is connected by av lead with appropriatebrush 12, which is adapted to maintam a current flow for the given timeperiod.

All of the welders may be 0 erated b l the wor requires such uniformityof action, or each of the welders may be operated under different timeintervals of current flow. .For example, considering the welder 10;, ifthe arm of switch 8 is moved into engagement with the uppermost of itsmultiple contacts, the circuit is closed through the timer byway.

of the lowermost brush 12, segment 8 and brush12 to one side of themain, thence through the primary of the welder transformer and arm ofswitch a completing the circuit. But this circuit will bemaintainedclosed only for the briefest timing interval of the mastertimer, namely, the tlme interval between the engagement of the lowermostbrush 12 with segment 8, and the disengagement of brush 12 from se ent8.

imilarly', if the arm of switch 8 is moved successively to the lowercontacts, the circuits through the secondary of the transformer will beclosed through brushes 12 successively higher in the series, and thetime interval. of flow of current will be successively increased. Itwill thus be seen that each welder is directly controlled from themaster timer, and the particular timeinterval' of current flow for eachwelder is seattaching and detaching the connector from the binding post,so thatsaid connector may be readily engaged with-any one of the seriesof binding posts 13, and the connectors from any number of machines mayalso be connected with any given binding post'13. By

this means, the connections to establish the.

desired time interval of current flow to any of the welders may beestablished at will at the master timer instead of at the welding Iapparatus, by means of the multi-point switch or selectro, such as 8fshown in Fig.-

1. This modified arrangement is necessarily simpler and cheaper tomstall, and would be of particular advantage inplants in which a givenwelder or series of welders would be operated for a considerable lengthof time upon one class of workrequiring an invariable period of currentflow for each weld.

What I claim is 1. The combination of multiple electric Welders, timingmechanism therefor, comprising a contact device provided with means tomaintain the welding current for successively varying time intervals,and means for selectively connecting the respective welders to saidcontact device in any desired timed relation. 7 1

2. The combination of multiple electric welders, timing mechanismtherefor, comprising a rotary contact device having a series of brushesto make and break the main circuit at successively varying timeintervals, and means for selectively connecting the respective weldersto any of said brushes to regulate the duration of current flowingthrough said welders-v 3. The combination of multiple electric welders,timing mechanism therefor, comprising a rotary contact segment, a seriesof brushes cooperating therewith to make and break the main circuit atsuccessively varying time intervals, and conductors for connecting therespective welders with any se lected brush, to regulate the duration ofthe current flowing through said welders.

4. The combination of multiple electric welders, timing mechanismtherefor; comprising a casing, a rotary disk therein carrying a contactsegment, a series of brushes cooperating with said disk and said segmentto maintain the main circuit for successively varying time intervals,and means for selectively connecting. the respective welders to saidbrushes.

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature, invpresence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALLEN BEAN-Y.

Witnesses:

FRED. B. MAGLAREN, GUY WEBSTER.

